The midday sun drew down upon courtyard of the Governor's Palace of Ba Sing Se, heating the tiles and the bodies of it's current inhabitants. Sokka wasn't one that could affirm he was truly adapted to the hot weather that was all too common in the Earth Kingdom, the firebenders conversely almost revelled in the sun's light- as if they couldn't hear their leader commanding them on her forms.
"Now- I want you to form a semi-circle- about 3 feet apart from each other." Azula described to them, the guards walking back to form a semicircle around the Princess, while Sokka looked on in confused at their forms- as if they were going to blast her with beams of fire all at once.
Sokka was proven right when the Princess raised her right arm and the firebending guards all sent out beams of fire directly at her, which she was able to simply block via a wall of fire- something his father once told him echoed in his mind: firebenders defend with offence; this made Sokka smirk in realisation- perhaps it would be easier to beat one of them in a spar than he thought.
"Again!" Azula commanded her men, who all kicked fire at her in synchronisation- a form he had seen them use before in battle- she ducked under the beams of fire and sent out a wave in response, the guards quickly dissipating the Princesses wave in unison.
Azula then concentrated her own beam of fire toward one of her guards, who was barely able stand his ground before she moved along the semi-circle, each guard crumbling to her raw power, finally ending the beam and kneeling to the ground- the intensity and length of the attack exhausted her.
"Wow- that was pretty cool." Sokka gaped, looking at the guards dishevelled and weakened from the Princesses attack.
"What about you- think you could take that?" she smirked, Sokka looking back, mouth agape in genuine fear.
"No! No non-bender could stand up to such an attack without dishonourable cunning." Sokka explained, Azula raising her eyebrow in interest.
"Like what kind of cunning?" she asked him, Sokka shrugging his shoulders; more aggravated by his silence than anything she glanced at him with slight anger.
"Well you have to show me now!" she demanded, Sokka smirking before withdrawing and throwing his boomerang directly at the Princesses head, which she barely dodged- she looked back somewhat shocked but smirked.
"Ah- well you didn't hit me- congratulations savage." she mocked him, reminding him of his constant bragging about his boomerang skill.
"Oh no- what will I do now?" Sokka pleaded with a heavy tone of sarcasm, making the Princess look at him in genuine shock.
"Wait wh-" she made out before her head was clipped by the returning boomerang- her head flinging downward, nearly forcing her to fall to the ground.
"Princess!" the Captain called out in fear and anger, turning to the Water Tribesman, "Why in the spirit's name did you do that?"
Sokka nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders at the Captain- who looked ready to burn his face off, "She wanted dishonourable cunning- that's what she got."
Azula picked herself up, fixing her dishevelled bun that had been dislodged by the boomerang striking her head,
"Y-you barbarian- I think you proved your point." she grumbled, rubbing her scalp in an attempt to ease the throbbing pain the boomerang had caused.
"Thank you Princess- I'll take that as a job well done." Sokka smirked, making the Captain fume further at him.
"I demand this oaf be removed from the courtyard- he is a health hazard!" he demanded to the Princess, who held back laughing.
"I thought one would be more impressed that anyone could possibly strike the Princess rather than to make the boy feel like wasn't doing what he was told." the Princess snidely remarked to the Captain- offending both him and Sokka, who knew her remarks about 'doing what he was told' were technically true but nonetheless demeaning.
Glancing back at Sokka, she moved herself into firebending form, "Now where was I- oh yes- I was going to beat your arse." smirking at the sound of the Captain smacking his own hand on his forehead- she loved to get on people's nerves, especially when they couldn't do anything about it.
Sokka smirked back at her, withdrawing his club and boomerang into his hands, "Well then- I guess this is the long awaited rematch."
Azula set her hands alight, but before doing anything looked at him and laughed, "Well that wouldn't be fair, I'll use one hand" she mocked, putting her left hand behind her back, "What about on one foot?" she raised her leg, making Sokka slap his forehead in the same motion the Captain had moments earlier.
"C'mon- let's just fight- you might be tough as nails, but that makes victory sweeter." Sokka jested at her, Azula's smirk turning to a frown as she struck out her fist into a massive wave of fire- Sokka was able to dodge it by somersaulting and throwing his boomerang to counter.
Azula sidestepped the swift boomerang before delivering a volley of flames toward Sokka's feet, which he found harder to dodge than she did to his attack; he stumbled backward, trying to keep his footing as she continued to strike at his feet. Suddenly the boomerang swung back, arriving in Sokka's hand, where he could put it to better use- he flung it out wide to hit Azula in the side; she quickly redirected her stance and dodged the boomerang's swing before turning back to see Sokka charging right at her with his club.
"Ahhhhhh!" Sokka shouted a battle-cry, racing in with a swing of his boomerang which Azula barely had time to register before she was forced to fall backwards lest she be struck in the head with the weapon.
Azula reacted with a swinging fist of flames, landing square on Sokka's jaw, reminding him of the first time she had hit him in the face so harshly; Sokka was able to see the attack coming and fell with the strike to the ground, rolling to his feet to avoid Azula hitting him while he was down for the moment.
"Had enough yet?" she mocked him, Sokka raising his face in defiance- his cheek red from the burn and his eyes watering.
Unable to move his mouth as much as he liked, Sokka made out "N-noh yeh" before harshly swinging the club at Azula, actually letting go to let it fly at her; Azula blocked the strike with her forearms, but the weight of the club forced to fall onto her backside.
In the moments before she could regain her footing, Sokka scampered away from her and grabbed his boomerang, before returning to some semblance of a stance; Azula glanced back at him with frustration.
"You ought to give up before I break your face." she mocked him, drawing both her fists in blue flames.
"Y-you've done that." Sokka attempted to joke, drawing out of the boomerang in preparation to continue their duel.
Azula struck out first with a volley of fire blasts from each of her fists, Sokka dodging under the flames, feigning a fall before swinging the boomerang out to Azula's side- hitting her shoulder and flinging her off her feet; Sokka could hear the guards gasp in near horror. The Water Tribesman withdrew his bone dagger and raced at the Princess before she could get back to her feet; Azula raised her left arm to send fire at him but Sokka was able to grab it before she could aim at him. Sokka thrust the blade toward her chest, although not genuinely trying to strike her, Azula reacted quickly by setting her right fist alight and aiming it- albeit somewhat awkwardly- at his head.
"D-d-raw?" Sokka asked her, Azula's chest heaving in exhaustion and pain.
"You already hit me in the head- plus I have armour and you don't; out of the two of us who's going to survive the other's hit?" she asked him rhetorically.
Sokka sighed in frustration, "Ah whatever- you win this time."
"That's twice- not counting that fuss on the deck." she drilled to him.
Sokka looked at her with a smirk, "I definitely won that- you were lost to the sea, at least for a few hours and you didn't massacre the Water Tribe 'savages' in battle; I think that qualifies as a victory for me."
"I was about to throw you overboard- I would have if it wasn't for the enlightened commentary." she explained, making Sokka laugh.
"Ah so that's how it was- my own mockery of you saved my life?" he asked her, Azula chuckling in realisation.
"I guess that is right- you're one of the only people to actually duel me in battle, and you survived by demeaning my abilities." she commented, Sokka breaking down laughing in realisation of the ludicrousness of the whole ordeal.
"Ahahaha- I still won!" he triumphantly claimed ending his laughter, walking away from the scene of the spar as the Royal Guards looked on with mouths agape- the Princess had never actually deferred to any other person's abilities before, at least from what they had seen; the Captain gazed upon the boy with fear- if that 'warrior' could gain the respect of one of the most powerful benders alive, he ought to actually be a real threat in battle- and therefore a real threat to the Fire Nation.
The sun bathed the upper ring a pale orange, it's golden roofs glinting in the sunlight; the streets of the rich neighbourhood were quiet at this time of the afternoon, most of it's inhabitants working indoors or eating their lunches- a perfect time for someone to sneak through. Two freedom fighters walked the streets confidently disguised- they had taken the appearance of common servants, distinguishable from those of the lower ring by cleaner and better made clothing- the local guards didn't bat an eye at them as they straddled down the streets, making their way toward the centre of the city.
"Looks like the disguises and fake passports worked!" Smellerbee proclaimed, albeit quietly to her partner in crime, who simply nodded back in agreement, "How did Jet say we'd get any information around here- there's barely any people- let alone any Fire Nation goons that we can beat down."
Longshot almost sighed, pointing up along the hillside to a smaller wall that bounded the Upper Ring- the former Palace of the Earth King; Smellerbee looked at her companion with intrigue.
"So- go check out the guard posts on the wall- maybe sneak over for a glance?" she asked, smirking in realisation that they would have to be stealthy if they wanted to pull off just getting a look into the palace grounds.
Walking down an alleyway between two manors, the freedom fighters caught sight of a Fire Nation patrol, only two men, walking around the bounds of the palace wall; Longshot pointed at them and made a twirling motion with his hand before making a hopping motion with his fingers, as if they were jumping over the wall- he thought they ought to be on synchronised timetable, and if that could count the timing between patrols, they would know exactly how long they would have to sneak over the wall if they could- Smellerbee got the jist of his idea and nodded in affirmation. The Fire Nation patrol left their sight soon enough and they hid themselves behind some bushes- the Upper Ring had a bountiful amount of gardens that could be very useful to hide in, as they had just found out; within a few minutes the next patrol came through and Longshot nodded to his companion- he knew they could scale the wall in that time.
Smellerbee looked at Longshot with confusion, "How are we going to get up the wall anyway- I don't see any holes..." Longshot raised a finger in the air before withdrawing a tied up cloth from his back, and Smellerbee smirked back with realisation, "Ah- I should've remembered you always bring your bow around."
He quickly unsheathed the cloth before drawing the bow and pulled a rope and arrow from his back, before quickly shooting the arrow into the top of the wall- pulling on it momentarily to check the tensile strength before nodding back to Smellerbee; she raced toward the wall and grabbed the rope, climbing up on it to start scaling the wall, glancing back to Longshot who remained by the garden.
"Aren't you coming?" she asked him, Longshot responding by pointing out the line of sight from his position- he was to keep watch and ensure that the rope could be reused- if the Fire Nation soldiers cut it- there'd be no escape; Smellerbee nodded in understanding before scaling the rest of the wall and pulling her torso onto the top of the wall.
Glancing out momentarily she could see the massive expanse of the palace- the portion which she had sneaked over was covered in buildings- in the distance she could see firebenders training in the courtyard and others patrolling around the palace; it would be hard to sneak into the palace, and even harder to escape it, from what her and Longshot had just seen- the gate would be even more heavily guarded than the walls themselves- unless they could destroy a part of the wall they wouldn't have a clear escape route. Smellerbee nodded at Longshot, grabbing the rope and abseiling back down with speed- before she tugged the arrow free and ran back to the bushes- as expected, moments later the Fire Nation patrol moved through and noticed nothing, to the relief of the freedom fighters.
Waiting for the patrol to leave earshot, Smellerbee turned to Longshot, "Okay- we're going to need something to blow up this wall- the whole place is crawling with firebending rats- if we can't get out the main gate- we're not all going to be able to scale the wall; other than that- Jet's plans seem sound." Longshot nodded in acceptance, signalling that they should scout around further- he thought they could perhaps try and hear out what any guards have to say.
The two disguised freedom fighters walked through the Upper Ring, following the palace wall until they reached what they assumed to be the main gate- a massive golden and green gate, untarnished by the Fire Nation's occupation other than the banners that flowed down from it's accompanying guard-posts; Smellerbee pointed out a set of crates beside the guard-post.
"We can hide behind those- and hopefully one of them spills the beans." she explained, Longshot nodding.
Longshot quickly scampered backward, finding a dislodged road-stone on the ground- picking it up he quickly threw it across the road, as to distract the Fire Nation guards from Smellerbee sneaking behind them.
"What was that?" one of the guards asked out, setting his hands alight with flames and walking down to the road-stone; by the time he looked over to where Longshot had been hiding, he had already disappeared into the nearby villa's garden, letting Smellerbee be the ears of their operation, while he would watch from afar to signal her if need be.
One of the guards joked at the situation, "Maybe some kid was earthbending- you know these uppity assholes, always too lenient in their privileged positions."
"Yeah talk about it- the bloody bastards should be thankful the Fire Lord decided to not burn this city to the ground- instead they get to roam free and hold their rights as if the Earth King still reigned."
"The governors a bit of a wanker letting them keep their shit- inn'e?" one of the guards commented, making the other guards laugh but hush him.
"Shut it man- if the wrong person hears that, you'll get transferred to the Lower Ring, and then you'll get killed by earthbending kids instead of being annoyed by them." one of the guards berated.
"If you really want to get a kick of a transfer you should offend the Princess- I hear she had a man demoted for making an infactual statement in her presence." one of the guards joked.
"Did you see her earlier? I heard she's one of the prettiest girls in the Fire Nation, but she's got a tongue man- fucking scares all the suitors away." another gossiped, Smellerbee connecting the dots- the Princess was the mystery visitor Jet had mentioned, and from how the guards had described her, it made sense for the 'clean up'- whatever Jet had meant by that.
"We've got 'em now." Smellerbee mumbled with a smirk- knowing now she had the intel they required to figure out the next steps of the plan she signalled Longshot with a motion of her hand; he quickly drew an gunpowder arrow and shot it into the air- before it most certainly caused a small explosion around a block away- the guards jumping from their compliance in shock.
"What the fuck was that?!" one of the guards exclaimed in fear, their commanding officer standing pointing at his men.
"Get your arses up- search the area for whatever in Agni's name caused that." he ordered, the guards quickly picking themselves up and racing down the street, completely missing sight of Longshot hiding stealthily in a manor's garden.
Smellerbee paced over to the garden after the guards had scattered away momentarily, and jumped behind the bushes to greet her companion, she grinned at Longshot with near glee, "We've got 'em! It's the Princess we're looking for- I think we should wait around- perhaps someone associated with her will pass through the upper ring- if we're lucky she'll run right into us." Longshot almost face-palmed at Smellerbee's joke- he most certainly didn't want to confront their enemy in the light of day, let alone when they were outnumbered greatly. The two disguised freedom fighters packed up the bow and it's assorted parts before they made their way down the street, looking for any place to hide before suddenly a man appeared out of no where- who they presumed was an Earth Kingdom noble- looked at the two of them questioningly.
"Excuse me- but shouldn't you two be at your masters estate- are you lost?" he asked them, Smellerbee standing forward to try and bullshit them out of the situation.
"Yes sir- we're so sorry for asking, but could you direct us to the shops- our master wanted us to buy him canvas for uh- calligraphy?" she explained, Longshot nodding in affirmation of her successful lie, the nobleman convinced.
"Oh it's downhill from here, along the main avenue- once you reach the wide roads, you can't miss it." he explained to the two of them- confused why they didn't already know where the market was, "Are you new here?" he asked.
"We've been hired recently sir- we served in a different part of the city." Smellerbee lied, the nobleman nodding with slight suspicion.
"You seem like well-enough folk- have a good day, and stay out of trouble- I hear the Fire Nation doesn't treat the lesser folk as well around here." he explained, making Longshot cringe in fear- he knew all too well the man's words would aggravate Smellerbee.
"A-uh- thanks..." Smellerbee mumbled, trying to contain her frustration at the man- she knew all too well now that the Upper Ring's citizens were far too complacent with the Fire Nation occupation, and she could see why- the Fire Nation could barely lift a finger at them because all their privileges from before the occupation were maintained- it was if the Earth King had never been deposed.
Walking away from the nobleman, the two could only feel confused by the situation in the Upper Ring- it was as if nothing had changed- they had only been in the city for a short time before the comet, but they knew well enough from their experiences at the hands of the Fire Nation that the nobility had gotten off surprisingly easily- the whole city of Ba Sing Se lived on as if nothing had changed, despite the Fire Nation banenrs covering the walls. She had heard rumours of other organisations, behind the scenes- the last remains of the Earth King's authority- the Cultural Authority of Ba Sing Se- better known as the Dai Li; Smellerbee and the rest of the Freedom Fighters had never seen a member of the Dai Li, let alone hear of any plots against the Fire Nation- perhaps their authority still held sway in the palace, and that was why the city continued to function as if the Earth King still ruled. Ba Sing Se was a weird and convoluted place- it was as if it was set in time, no matter the power of the Fire Nation's military might.
The newly established office of the Crown Princess was decked with papers from the garrison's record department- she had entrusted her Captain to assist at the moment in searching for details that may reveal any rebels or plots against the Fire Nation; the Captain was not pleased with the amount of work he would have to do, but understood well enough that delegating to the locals would be rather dangerous- neither of them knew how deep conspiracy ran in the city- if they spoke to the wrong individual they could accidentally get themselves targeted by whoever sought to undermine them in the first place. The Captain was not an outspoken man and decided to hold his tongue, despite his own wishes to advise the Princess on her new Water Tribe companion- she would simply claim he was effaced by the boy, and not that he actually posed a threat to the Princess.
"Captain- what do you say of the governor's forces and garrison- do you think they are capable of defeating a revolt against Fire Nation occupation?" Azula asked him, the Captain bowing in acknowledgement before relaying his thoughts.
"The forces here are well trained veterans from fighting in the Earth Kingdom- most of these men have been stationed elsewhere, and I think that they are capable of preventing an Earth Kingdom revolt;" the Captain explained, but halted before continuing- unsure if he should be speaking so openly, "if I may say- the governor seems to be relatively- uh how can I say this lightly- complacent in his seat of power. From what I can see in our day past, the Earth Kingdom people here are treated fairly and with due respect, but the degree to which this has been achieved is somewhat bewildering; I'm unsure if we can trust these people as much as the governor might try to."
"That's what I was presuming also Captain- this city is at peace, but that peace seems tenuous, and if a spark was to light the hack-stack, we would see our authority crumble- the city could easily be taken by rebels if they had enough manpower or backing- we still know little of the potential conspirators." she confirmed, looking down to a set of papers in her hands.
"These papers describe a number of potential threats described by the first military strategists that visited the city after it's occupation: the Earth King's loyalists- the higher nobility and the military elite who obviously led the charge in defending the city from our rule and would be most at ease opposing us; as well as the Earth King's secret police, the Cultural Authority or Dai Li- as they a more commonly called, they supposedly cracked down on dissent in the city and the spread of information they deemed 'threatening to the peace'." she explained, the Captain nodding in understanding.
"These Dai Li- they haven't been encountered since the comet- supposedly not all of them were captured in the conquest." the Captain commented, thinking on the idea for a moment, "They could be the threat we are looking for, if their numbers did remain as large as believed after the Fire Nation took control- their compatriots didn't give much information before being shipped off to prison camps."
"We can be for certain until we find some proof of their continued existence- they could have just melted away realising the Earth King was gone and that their authority left with him." Azula argued, although she agreed with the Captain.
To Azula the Dai Li was an unknown, and to her an unknown was already present, waiting to strike- she knew this well enough after her encounter with the Water Tribe- the worst thing that could happen, if no outcome is apparent, should be treated as the outcome; she was dealing with a conspiracy, and the worst one- it seemed to be the most plausible one. Uppity nobles were one thing- but a secret police force that no one had seen in over a year was another.
"We must take the threat for as if it was fact- I believe there is someone or multiple individuals in the hierarchy that could be potentially compromised." she explained to the Captain, who nodded in respect and agreement- they were both on the same page here- there was a serious threat, and even if they couldn't understand it, they ought to prepare for it as best they could.
"After all of this- we still have no idea who plotted to have you captured- there's no way the Water Tribe would do something so bold, let alone have the intel to perform such an attack." the Captain remarked, reminding the Princess of what Sokka had described to her of their 'job'.
"The Water Tribe savage has his use- one of them has been to give me the information that I desired in relation to the shipwreck- his people were hired, he doesn't know who by- someone secretive it seems- perhaps the Dai Li fit the bill for that?" Azula explained.
"How can you be sure he told you everything he knew?" he asked her, Azula raising an eyebrow.
"Are you questioning your Princesses judgement?" she asked him, her eyes looking into him like daggers- she could stir fear into the most stoic and tough men like the Captain with relative ease.
"No your highness-" the Captain formally replied, trying to change his tone to seem a bit more respectful, "I simply seek to remind you that those savages can be finicky liars and thieves as much as they are supposedly 'honour-bound' warriors."
"This savage is honest- too much may I say, if he had been one of my subjects I would have had him beat for his insolence- but he is under my employ willingly and after saving my life multiple times, caring for me through that forest. Even if our relationship is purely for it's utility, that doesn't undermine the trust that he has in me- he believes I will get him home." she explained to the Captain.
"Will you- will you let an enemy of the Fire Nation return to their place by our enemies side?" he questioned, the Princess raising her hand to stop the Captain's claims.
"If he proves his worth and remains loyal- then yes, I see no reason to hold him against his own will; the boy could prove to be a valuable ally in the times to come- if I rule the world one day, I want to rule it with the respect of my subjects." she explained to the Captain, nodding at her logical conclusions.
"I see- but don't let his 'good-wills' blind you Princess- this boy- this man, he cannot be trusted to do what you want him to."
"Well Captain- I'll tell you what I see- I see a boy who is scared for his life, unknowing of the place he resides- unable to return home without real assistance, the kind I can provide; he trusts me, and he respects my ability as a leader and firebender- he will not always follow my command, but he will work alongside me to help me achieve my goals- he has to if he wants to survive." she berated him, describing Sokka with as much detail as she could- as to prove his 'innocence' in a sense to the Captain's preconceptions.
She knew that the man selfishly wanted to find a reason to hate the Water Tribesman- she could understand his reasoning, but she would not stand for anything but absolute loyalty; the Captain was a proud man- but seeing that his loyalty was being already tested by a simple snow savages apparent obedience- Azula found it somewhat amusing that he would be foiled that of all things- a man supposedly following the Princess out of his own free will. Sokka was not the most loyal of followers- but his unbridled honesty and clear sense of honour made him a trustworthy ally- and at the very least she could trust him more than any of the sycophants and liars in this city.
Within a small and cramped room, Sokka lay rubbing his jaw in pain- the Princess had done a number to his face, and he was hoping the pain would ease with time- his hopes hadn't done much for him today however. After their sparring session ended, he had nothing much to do but lie and try and wait out the stinging sensation; to Sokka's luck the Captain wasn't there to continue berating him for being some kind of threat and a foreign savage, but his jaw pained none the less and he doubted he'd find respite any time soon. Deciding that he had had enough of lazing around in pain, he raised himself from the bed and pulled his shirt back into form before peering out of the metal door- he could see two of the guards chatting in the hallway, and without prior judgement he walked up to them in hopes that they would know of any way for him to find ease in his pained state.
"U-uh hey guys, do you have any idea how to help with pain from injuries? Azula really did a number to my jaw." he asked the guards somewhat confused by his informal reference to the Princess but responded in due course.
"'Course kid- there's the greatest cure to any pain: a bit a' booze!" one of the guards joked to him, Sokka taking his statement with full seriousness.
"Really!" he almost shouted, somewhat unaware of his surroundings, "Where can I get some? I've never tried anything like that, but desperate times call for desperate measures."
One of the guards smiled sympathetically at Sokka, "I don't really know- it's our first day here too; I'd take the bet that you'd be able to buy some at a bar, not here at the palace- I don't think they'd be letting Fire Nation soldiers get on the piss while they're on duty."
"Okay- well shit, uh I'd best go try and find some." Sokka thought aloud, "Uh- thanks guys, I'll try and find a bar- they ought to have something close enough for me to find." he explained, before curtly acknowledging the two with a slight bow- even though he knew he shouldn't be respectful to such ash-makers, he knew that they had given him good advice that he was willing to pay respect for.
Sokka walked back into his room and slung his boomerang over his back- he thought momentarily he might need it for securities sake, he thought there'd be a chance the Fire Nation bastards forgot that he was working for them and decided to attack him because of his blue clothing. He walked out of the barracks into the hot afternoon sun, not enjoying the burning heat as he might have otherwise with the stinging pain across his face; pacing himself the seemingly endless courtyard he headed in the direction they had entered earlier that morning- a large gate that bounded the palace complex, guarded by an entire squad of elite firebenders as if to scare off any potential attackers, and to simply intimidate the local populace with their might. Arriving at the gate after a few minutes of nearly running across the courtyard, the guards looked at him with suspicion- but after having seen him in the morning they were more curious as to why he was leaving the palace.
"Excuse me kid- we're going to need to know where you're going- no one leaves the palace without us knowing." the lead guard asked Sokka, his voice attempting to seem intimidating- Sokka just knew the guard was doing his job and dismissed him with a wave of his hand.
"A-ah I'm uh- just going to get some refreshments." he explained legitimately, hoping the guards would get what he meant.
"You're a guest of the Princess right- you can just go to the mess hall." the guard told him, Sokka slapping his forehead in frustration and his tone grew harsher.
"No man- I want to get alcohol- look at my face!" Sokka nearly shouted, shocking the guard who stepped back.
"Uh- sorry kid- that does look pretty bad." the guard acknowledged looking at Sokka's bruised face, before signalling his men to open the smallest gate out of the palace, "Let him through!" befor turning back to Sokka,
"Just be back tonight- I don't wanna send a search party after some foreign kid." the guard told him, Sokka nearly rolling his eyes focused on the matter at hand.
"Thanks." he replied back, his tone clearly showing his anger at the situation- he had just wanted to leave without a fuss- it wasn't like he was going to run off back to the Water Tribe- he couldn't do that, despite wanting to dearly.
Walking away from the walls of the Palace, Sokka glanced to gape at the massive manors and gardens of the Upper Ring- he had no idea that the Upper Ring was so wealthy, despite the fall of the city to the Fire Nation- he was at least glad there wasn't as much suffering and destruction as he had feared- he had heard too many bad stories about the Fire Nation's raids in his own tribe to think that everywhere else the same thing could happen; it made him think of the unfairness of it all- the Southern Water Tribe wasn't really a threat to the Fire Nation, but they had gone out their way to destroy their culture and their bending arts- his sister Katara was the last one alive, and he feared for her safety even now- what if the Fire Nation had caught wind of her existence, rushed down and destroyed their village- the thought made Sokka want to throw up. Making his way down the street he got funny eyes from the Upper Ring's elite, who obviously had seen little or no Water Tribe people in their lives- his people were a rare sight around the world, and it was only the South that he knew had any real involvement in the war itself; he tried to pace himself, and look away from their peering eyes- he didn't like attention like this, like he was mud on their shoes. The idea that he was any lesser to them angered him- knowing he had fought for his people and in the war against their enemies made him better than any coward who sat behind their walls for a hundred years only to see them fall, without ever even trying to fight back against those who sought to conquer the world.
The anger Sokka felt distracted his mind from the pain in his face, which continued to sting as he walked around the upper ring, finally making his way to what he assumed was the shopping area of the district- it was a wide market full of servants and rare goods- he could see restaurants in the distance and took that as his bet for his booze. He fumbled through trying to not walk into people- who again, continued to stare at him intently- he really was 'weird' for the city of Ba Sing Se, but the eyes he were getting were so discontenting- he was free man, maybe that was it. He acted as if he wasn't under the Fire Nation's- or should he say the Princesses thumb, at least not in a way that he could care for- he had free food, a bed and soon enough he'd find some alcohol. He finally made his way to the entrances of what he assumed was an upper-class restaurant, relatively empty for this time of day- and to his luck they had a bar with a wide array of drinks- at least the rich bastards had some sense to hold some liquor. He walked up to the bar at sat down casually, the other customers giving him an odd glance before going back to their meals- he realised immediately that it was probably a fair bit too early in the day to be drinking alcohol; he reached into his belt, where he luckily was able to scrape up an assortment of coins- the last allowance he had been given by his father before they left port, as he would always get some money after they did a job or took down some Fire Nation bastards and sold what they could of it.
Holding the biggest coin he could find in-between his index and middle fingers he raised his hand and looked to the bartender, "What will this get me?" he asked, the bartender looking at him with slight confusion- probably for the same reason as the customers.
The bartender pulled a customary smile and begun to explain, "Uh- well we have a collection of the finest baijius from across the Ear-" before Sokka hushed him with a finger aimed at his head.
"Save me the sweet talk buddy- what does it cost, and is it strong enough to make this" pointing to his bruised jaw and cheekbone, "hurt a little less?" Sokka asked, the bartender's demeanour changing to a more relaxed one.
"Ah- well we've got some cheap stuff- it'll give you a kicking though man." he explained, Sokka grinning in relaxation, knowing that his pains would be over soon enough.
"I'll uh- drink it slowly then." he affirmed, handing the man his coin, before the bartender looked at it- and chuckled.
"You're not going to get much with that- but I guess it's better to get a bit to try." he explained, turning to the shelves of alcohol, grabbing a bottle of baijiu and pouring out some of it into a cup, the size of which disappointed Sokka.
"Ah really- that's it?" he whined, the bartender chuckling.
"This is the Upper Ring- there's no cheap alcohol anywhere here- this is best you've got." the bartender tried to assure Sokka, who had taken a moment to look at the cup before chugging it down in one foul swoop, making the bartender drop his jaw in awe and shock.
"By the spirits, you're not meant to drink it like water!" he almost shouted, grabbing the cup from Sokka's hand before he could drink any more of the meagre about he had been poured.
"I said slowly when I- uh- I think I feel it now." Sokka said in realisation of the alcohol's effects- although he knew he wasn't drunk- he could certainly tell that he would get so quickly if he kept at it- the burning sensation was almost painful, but it felt nice anyway- Sokka had heard the warriors talk about alcohol, and now he got why they held it in such high regard; it would really help on those cold winter nights down South- if you're going to spend a few months in darkness, a bit of the stuff would really help.
"Uh- I'll have another- just let me- uh- catch my breath." Sokka told the bartender, slamming a coin onto the bar before rubbing his eyes from the almost nauseous feeling he had- the pain on his face had become weaker and a new feeling was apparent- he didn't understand it too well, but he liked it.
With each following drink, Sokka's pain retreated away, but his mind felt like it was falling into shambles as well- he couldn't thinks straight- for a moment he asked the bartender why he was there to begin with before recanting his story in his mind- Azula had tried to burn his face off and break his jaw at the same time, so he needed some alcohol to soothe the pain- he told the bartender he'd thank the guards when he saw them again- he needed to relax a bit, and now he had a chance for blissful happiness, even if it made his thoughts go a bit screwy.
"Okay man- I think you've had enough." the bartender tried to persuade Sokka, who simply ruffled through his belt bag to pull out one more coin.
"I have money- so you give it to me; that's right?" Sokka asked him almost tossing the coin at the bartender, who was complied to give the Water Tribesman another shot of bajiu- although he wasn't getting rowdy in the restaurant, he was clearly intoxicated beyond belief and probably would pass out if he had any more drinks.
Just before was about to take the drink of bajiu from the bartenders hands before he suddenly squirmed, almost in pain- confusing the bartender, "Are you okay?" Sokka looking back at him with a cringed face.
"I-I... Uh- need to take a piss." Sokka admitted, the bartender chuckling.
"That's what happens when you try to water down your drinks." he nonchalantly explained, Sokka fumbling out of his seat realising that he needed to empty his bladder very soon or he would involuntarily do so all over the restaurant floor.
"I'll be riiiiiight back man- you just gimme a minute." Sokka affirmed to the bartender, who slapped his forehead in frustration, knowing all too well what would come after urinating- getting even more drunk.
Pacing himself out of the restaurant he looked out to the orange haze of twlight- he ought to get back to the palace soon- he could imagine Azula berating him duly for his drunken stupor; glancing around the night market and restaurants all he could see was an alleyway- on the ships they were rather makeshift with their latrines, he thought that he could piss in public out of pure necessity. Deciding to walk alongside the restaurants, Sokka made his way to an alleyway- walking down it and finding a comfortable point to loosen his pants and let himself relax.
"Ahhh- now that's what I needed." he commented casually, not thinking there was anyone to see him, before he turned to look down the alley back the way he came a silhouette shadowed the ambience of the street, "What you want man- did you want to look?" he joked at the silhouette, which simply walked closer to him before raising it's arms at him, making Sokka reach for his boomerang in defence before the figures hands seemingly flung off and struck him in the chest- hard as stone, perhaps that what it was- Sokka thought; he didn't have much time to think as his body was flung onto the dirty stone bricks of the alleyway and his head collided with the ground, returning Sokka to the sense of pain he had been avoiding all day.
"C'mon what was th-" he complained, being cut off by a the same stone hand covering his mouth, the figure now standing above him- in the darkness the man's face was hard to make out and Sokka attempted to shout, but to no avail as the hand masked his voice.
"I've got you now." the man quietly proclaimed in triumph, shocking Sokka- despite his drunken stupor- thoughts raced through his mind. How did someone know who he was- and if so, did they want him because of Azula? He couldn't ask the questions with his mouth covered and decided it would be best to focus on breaking free, but the man had simply flipped Sokka over in his dazed state and clasped another hand over his own, stopping him from fighting back at all.
"Mhmhm!" he grumbled at the man, who slung Sokka up over his shoulder, surprising Sokka with his strength- he was more worried about what would happen if he didn't break free, which he was finding a struggle with his hands covered, and more so his reflexes had been reduced to a slur- he could barely fight back, let alone figure out how to get away.
The man carried him down the alleyway and shuffled around for a moment before running down a dark and empty street- Sokka knew they were going somewhere, and he preferred to fight back- he started to kick his legs, the only movable part of his body at the moment, making the man grunt in frustration as Sokka kneed his shoulders with as much force as he could muster.
"Stop it- I'll knock you out if you don't shut it." the man commanded to him, Sokka attempting to glare at him, but his head was drooped down over the man's chest and he could barely raise his neck to glance back- suddenly though he felt as if he was able to move again, only to realise he was in free fall, and within a moment he had crashed hard onto the road, Sokka's head crashing first into the stone tiles.
"Argh!" he almost squealed, before realising he could actually move- whatever the man was using to restrain him had stopped, and glancing to his side in his dazed state he realised what that was; the man's body lay beside him with an arrow struck deep into his back right beside where he had been hanging- Sokka lifted himself to try and look for the perpetrator, but with his vision impaired by the alcohol he could only see some people standing in the distance in distinctively pale clothing.
"W-wh-o a' you?" Sokka called out, his head ringing from the pain, before he felt a hand grab his shoulders, pulling him up.
"Who are you? That's what we're asking!" a feminine voice grumbled at him, making Sokka try to roll his eyes in his drunken state.
"I-uh- I'm S-sok-uh" he mumbled, feeling increasingly lightheaded from the blunt injury he had sustained.
"Sokkuh? Sokka?" the voice asked him again, Sokka trying to make out their face- a girl, he thought, brown hair and dark eyes- the other face was too far from him to make out.
"Tha's m'name." Sokka tried to grin, before rubbing his head from the pain, the girl dropping him onto the ground momentarily.
"What should we do with him?" the girl asked her companion, who simply seemed to to glance back at Sokka, but the girl seemed to understand such a simple movement, "Take him back? We could barely sneak in here as it is!" she shouted back at her companion in frustration.
Sokka tried to ask back for some kind of information before his pain overtook his present thoughts- his head ached to the point that he simply rolled over on the road to try and sleep- something that he loved to do usually, but this time was out of necessity; he would deal with his saviours once he could actually think straight. It was black from there on out, his mind detached from the situation at hand- turned to the unconscious rather than try and keep on fighting.